ROBERTO "PLENA" IRIZARRY
NUYORICAN POET

Leaving Ponce, Puerto Rico at the age of four, Roberto "Plena" Irizarry moved to the Bronx to encounter a new life. He is a follower and proud member of the Nuyorican movement, which emerged on the street by Puerto Ricans who needed a new form of self-government and new communication techniques that the police couldn't decipher, to share experiences of the pain, horror, and struggle of destitution surrounding them. It has since evolved to represent freedom of expression.

Irizarry has taken advantage of his artistic abilities and talents and is a musician, poet and videographer. Growing up with Catholicism and its' strict mandates in seminary school affects much of his poetry. He has decided that he does not need a building or an intermediary to have an intimate relationship with God. He speaks about the origin of the middle name he gave himself, "Plena" and what it means to embody the spirit of Ponce, Puerto Rico - the home of the popular Plena music and other Afro-Spanish rhythms. Puerto Rican food, drinks, music, poetry, the people and land itself have shaped Irizarry and infused his spirit with confidence and pride and he shares his experiences with Angela McKenzie.

Written by Fatima Shabbir, Associate Producer


This audio is part of the collection: Community Audio
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Artist/Composer: Initiative Radio
Keywords: Initiative Radio highlights the work of organizations both for profit & not-for-profit; individuals of repute ordinary persons who are professionally & personally obligated to making a difference in their community & the world at large.

Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

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